Water-cooled furnace door frame



Feb. 19, 1963 J. H. REIGHART WATER-COOLED FURNACE DQOR FRAME Filed March7, 1960 INVENTOR. 2a JwneliReigkwrfi ATTORNEYS 3,077,866 WATER-EIGQLEDFURNAQE DGUR FRAME June lid. Reignart, W91 Lee Road, (Zieveland, GhioFiled Mar. 7, 1969, Ser. No. 13,056 4 Claims. (til. 122-498) Theinvention relates to furnace door frames, and more particularly towater-cooled door frames especially adapted for use with water-cooleddoors of open hearth furnaces, melting furnaces and the like.

Hollow, water-cooled door frames are commonly used for such furnaces,such door frames comprising generally a hollow steel shell forming anarch with depending hollow legs or jambs communicating therewith, andmeans for passing cooling water therethrough.

in steel mills generally, river water is circulated through the hollowshell and jambs of such door frames for cooling the same to protect themagainst the intense furnace heat to which they are subjected. As riverwater ordinarily contains sand, silt, earth and the like, much of whichis so fine that it passes through the filters usually provided for suchpurpose, considerable difficulty is experienced by admitting the same tothe interiors of such hollow door frames.

A major difficulty experienced in steel mill practice is that this finesand, silt, earth and similar impurities is deposited in a film or layerupon the arch of the door frame, which is subjected to the fullintensity of the furnace heat.

This results in this film or layer of earthy substances becomingvitrified by the heat of the furnace, and by continued use additionalfilms of these substances will build up upon the arch of the door frameand become vitrified, forming an insulation layer of such thickness thatthe water circulating through the hollow shell can no longer adequatelycool the arch of the door frame.

As a result, the arch plate of the door frame is subjected to the fullintensity of the furnace heat without the benefit of adequate cooling,and quickly burns out, rendering the door frame useless and requiringimmediate replacement thereof.

Also, such door frames are sometimes provided with inwardly disposed,hollow jamb guards on the legs or jarn'os of the door frame, betweenwhich jamb guards the brick-work of the furnace wall is built.

Another difliculty commonly experienced in the use of such water-cooledfurnace door frames is the formation of steam pockets which interferewith the flow of water.

It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide a hollow,water-cooled door frame having means therein for preventing earthyimpurities in the circulating water from being deposited upon the archplate of the door frame and insulating the same against the coolinginfluence of the water.

Another object of the invention is to provide a door frame of thecharacter referred to having sumps in the lower ends of the hollow legsor jambs thereof and means for delivering the cooling water directly tothese sumps so that the greater portion of the earthy impurities in thewater may be deposited therein, after which the wafor with theseimpurities removed therefrom is circulated through the hollow shell.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a door frame inwhich each sump i formed by an angularly inclined partition wall withinand spaced from the lower end of each leg or jamb of the frame, thewater inlet pipe being located through said partition wall fordelivering the incoming water directly into the sump, the water thenrising through an opening at the top of the inclined partition wall andcirculating through the hollow door frame to the discharge outlet.

Another object of the invention is to provide a furnace door frame ofthis type having inwardly disposed hollow jamb guards on the legs orjambs thereof and means for circulating cooling water through these jambguards so as to adequately cool the same to protect them against theheat of the furnace.

A further object of the invention is to provide a watercooled door frameof this type having a separate circulation system in each jamb guard toprevent accumulation of steam in pockets which would interfere with thehow of water.

Another object of the invention is to provide a watercooled door frameof this type in which spaced baffle walls are provided within the hollowjamb guards so as to direct the flow of cooling water against theinnermost portions of the jamb guards.

These and other objects, apparent from the drawings and followingdescription, may be attained, the above-described difiiculties overcomeand the advantages and results obtained, by the apparatus, construction,arrangement and combinations, sub-combinations and parts which comprisethe present invention, preferred embodiments of which, illustrative ofthe best modes in which applicant has contemplated applying theprinciple, being set forth in detail in the following description andillustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In general terms, the invention may be briefly described in its simplestform as comprising a hollow water-cooled furnace door frame comprising asteel shell having depending legs or jambs, an arch plate in the shellforming the bottom of the main body of the door frame and the opposedside walls of the legs or jambs.

An angularly inclined partition wall is located within the lower portionof each leg or jamb at a point spaced from the bottom thereof providinga sump in the lower end of each hollow leg or jamb. A water inlet pipeenters the hollow shell at one upper corner thereof and communicateswith a manifold centrally located therein. Pipes lead from each end ofsaid manifold down into the hollow legs or jambs, each pipe passingthrough the corresponding inclined partition wall and terminatingtherebelow.

Thus, the incoming water is delivered directly to the sumps in the lowerends of the legs or jambs and earthy impurities in the water may bedeposited by gravity therein. The water then passes upward through anopening at the top of each inclined partition wall through the hollowlegs or jambs and then through the main body portion of the shell and isdischarged through an outlet pipe in the other upper corner of theshell.

A small vent is preferably provided in the lower por-' tion of eachinclined partition wall to permit a small amount of water to riseupwardly therethrough, in order to agitate the water in the hollow legsor jambs directly above the inclined partition wall to prevent thedeposit of earth impurities from the water onto the top thereof and topermit such impurities to settle by gravity through said vent into thesump. A clean-out plug is provided in the lower portion of each sump forthe purpose of periodically removing any accumulation of sand, silt,earth and the like therefrom.

In the embodiment of the invention in which a hollow jamb guard isdisposed inwardly from each leg or jamb of the hollow door frame, theabove-described means for circulating water therein is provided.However, each hollow jamb guard communicates with the corresponding legor jamb of the frame only at the lower and upper ends of the jamb guard.

The lower end of the jamb guard communicates with the corresponding legor jarnb directly below the upper end of the inclined partition wall.Spaced, inclined bafiie walls are located within each hollow jamb guardin order to direct the flow of water against the innermost portion ofthe jamb guard.

In addition to the water-circulating means above described, a secondpair of pipes leads from the manifold downward to each hollow leg orjamb terminating above the inclined partition wall therein. If desired,a second sump may be formed in each leg or jamb by locating a secondinclined partition wall therein at a point above the first partitionwall, the second pipe in each leg extending through this secondpartition wall and terminating therebelow, and the water rising up fromthe second sump through an opening at the upper end of the secondpartition wall and circulating upward through the hollow legs or jambsand then through the main body portion of the hollow door frame to theoutlet.

Various other arrangements of pipes and baflie walls' maybe providedwhere the hollow door frame is provided with both a hollow lintel andhollow jamb guards for providing adequate circulation through each, andthe lintel and jamb guards may communicate with each other so that thewater passes directly from the jamb guards FIG. 3 is a perspective viewof the door frame shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, on a smaller scale, lookingtoward the inner or furnace side thereof;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary transverse, sectional view taken on line 4-4,FIG. 2.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 inclusive,water-cooled jamb guards are provided on the inner or furnace side ofthe legs or jambs of the door frame. The steel shell comprises the upperbody portion 1 and the depending hollow legs or jambs 2, the shell,having the spaced inner and outer steel plates 3 and 4 respectively,forming the inner and outer walls of the body portion and the legs orjambs, the top plate 5, the end plates 6, forming the end walls of thebody of the frame and of the legs or jambs, the arch plate 7, formingthe bottom of the body portion and the other side wall of each leg orjamb, and the bottom plates 8 forming closure walls' for the lower endsof the legs or jambs.

Spacing bolts or bars 9 may be provided for connecting the plates 3 and4 in spaced relation and conventional door guideways It} may be locatedon the back or outer side of the frame, all as above described.

In this embodiment of the invention, hollow jamb guards 24 are locatedon the inner or furnace side of the hollow frame, and means is providedfor producing a separate system for circulating cooling watertherethrough, to prevent accumulation of steam in pockets. Water isadmitted to the interior of the hollow frame through the inlet pipe 11::at one upper corner of the frame for connection to a hose or the likeleading from a suitable supply of cold water.

The inlet pipe 11a extends through the top plate and is then directedtoward the center of the hollow shell where it is connected to themanifold 12a. Pipes 13a are connected to opposite ends of the manifold12a and are directed toward opposite ends of the shell and thendownwardly as at 14a into the legs or jambs 2.

An inclined partition wall 15a is rigidly mounted in the lower portionof each leg or jamb 2, at a point spaced above the bottom wall 8thereof, each partition wall being inclined upwardly from the outer wall4 to the inner wall 3 to which it is connected just above the inletopening 25 to the lower end of the corresponding hollow jamb guard 24.

A vent 18a is preferably provided in the lower end of each partitionwall 15a. The straight portion 14a of each pipe 13:: is located througha suitable opening 16a in the corresponding partition wall 15a andterminates directly therebelow.

Spaced upwardly and inwardly inclined bai'lle plates 26 are connected tothe inner wall 3, within each jamb guard 24, and terminate at pointsspaced from the vertical inner wall 27 of the jamb guard. The lower wall28 of each jamb guard is inclined upwardly and inwardly, and the upperwall 29 thereof is inclined downwardly and inwardly toward the verticalwall 27.

An outlet opening 30, preferably of smaller size than the inlet opening25, is provided in the inner wall 3 of the shell at the upper end ofeach jamb guard 24, thus permitting water entering the lower end of thejamb guard through the inlet opening 25 to pass out of the upper end ofthe jamb guard and enter the interior of the hollow shell.

A pair of pipes 31 are connected to the manifold 12a and are disposed inopposite directions toward opposite ends of the shell and are thendirected downwardly as at 32 into the legs or jambs 2, passing throughthe upwardly and inwardly inclined partition wall 33, located in thelegs or jambs 2 at points spaced above the inclined partition walls 15aand thus providing a second sump in the lower portion of each hollow legor jamb.

An opening 34 is formed in the upper end of each partition wall 33toward the arch plate 7, and a vent 35 is preferably provided in thelower end of each partition wall 33. A clean-out plug 200 is located inthe lower end of each hollow leg or jamb to clean accumulated dirt fromthe lower sump 21a therein, a clean-out plug 22:: is located in thelower end of the upper sump 36 in each leg, and a clean-out plug 37 maybe located in each leg above the lower end of the inclined partitionwall 33 to remove any accumulation of dirt around the vent 35.

The incoming cold fluid from the inlet pipe 11a is distributed throughthe manifold 12a to the pipes 13a and '31. The water passing into thepipes 13a, and downwardly through the vertical portions 14:: thereof, isdelivered directly to the lower sumps 21a in the lower ends of thehollow legs or jambs, a considerable portion of the earthy impurities inthe water being deposited by gravity in the sumps 21a.

This water then passes through the inlet openings 25 into the lower endsof the hollow jamb guards 24, rising therein and being directed aroundthe ends of the inclined baflie walls 26 against the vertical inner Wall27 of each jamb guard and then passing through the outlet openings 30into the interior of the hollow shell.

The water from the pipes 31 is delivered directly to the sumps 36, whereearth impurities are deposited by gravity and the water rises throughthe openings 34 in the inclined partition walls 33, upward through thehollow legs or jambs 2 and through the hollow body portion 1 of theshell, and with the water from the hollow jambs is carried upwardly andoutwardly through the outlet pipe 19a.

With this a rrangementit will be seen that the hollow jamb guards 24 andthe hollow legs 2 of the frame are each cooled by water passing directlythereto from the inlet pipe. The provision of separate circulationsystems for the hollow jamb guards prevents the accumulation of steam inpockets which would interfere with the free flow of Water therethrough.

Sumps are provided for each of the pipes leading to the legs of thehollow frame, a considerable portion of the earthy impurities is removedfrom the water so that as the water is circulated upwardly in the hollowshell and over the arch plate 7 the chances of forming a film of earthyimpurities upon the arch plate is greatl minimized.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because suchwords are used for descriptive purposes therein and are intended to bebroadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated anddescribed herein are by way of example, and the scope of the presentinvention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention or discovery, the construction, theoperation, and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and theadvantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and usefulconstruction, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious tothose skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a hollow, water-cooled furnace door frame of the characterdescribed, spaced inner and outer plates having depending extensions atopposite side edges defining in part a hollow shell consisting of ahollow body portion and spaced hollow legs depending therefrom, a topplate closing the top of said hollow body portion, an arch plate closingthe bottom of said hollow body portion and the inner sides of the hollowlegs, end plates closing the edges of the hollow body and the outersides of the hollow legs, bottom plates closing the lower ends of thehollow legs, a partition wall within each hollow leg and spaced from thebottom thereof providing a sump in the lower end of each leg, means forcirculating a fluid through said shell, said means comprising a fluidinlet pipe extending from an upper corner of the hollow shell to a pointadjacent the center of the hollow body portion, conduits extending downinto said hollow legs and through the partition walls therein, meansproviding communication between said inlet pipe and said conduits,hollow vertical water-cooled jamb guards fixed upon the exterior of saidinner plate and substantially coextensive with said hollow legs, meansproviding communication between each sump and the lower end of thecorresponding jamb guard, means providing communication between theupper end of each jamb guard and the hollow shell, a second partitionwall in each hollow leg spaced above the first named partition Wall andproviding a second sump in each hollow leg, there being an opening ineach second named partition forming communication between each secondnamed sump and the corresponding hollow leg, second conduits extendingdown into said second sumps, means providing communication between saidinlet pipe and said second conduits, and a fluid outlet at the otherupper corner of the hollow shell.

2. In a hollow, water-cooled furnace door frame of the characterdescribed, spaced inner and outer plates having depending extensions atopposite side edges defining in part a hollow shell consisting of ahollow body portion and spaced hollow legs depending therefrom, a topplate closing the top of said hollow body portion, an arch plate closingthe bottom of said hollow body portion and the inner sides of the hollowlegs, end plates closing the edges of the hollow body and the outersides of the hollow legs, bottom plates closing the lower ends of thehollow legs, an inclined partition wall within each hollow leg andspaced from the bottom thereof providing a sump in the lower end of eachleg, means for circulating a fluid through said shell, said meanscomprising a fluid inlet pipe extending from an upper corner of thehollow shell to a point adjacent the center of the hollow body portion,conduits extending down into said hollow legs and through the partitionwalls therein, means providing communication between said inlet pipe andsaid conduits, hollow vertical water-cooled jamb guards fixed upon theexterior of said inner plate and substantially coextensive with saidhollow legs, means providing communication between each sump and thelower end of the corresponding jamb guard, means providing communicationbetween the upper end of each jamb guard and the hollow shell, a secondinclined partition wall in each hollow leg spaced above the first namedinclined partition wall and providing a second sump in each hollow leg,there being an opening adjacent the upper end of each second namedpartition forming communication between each second named sump and thecorresponding hollow leg, second conduits extending down into saidsecond sumps, means providing communication between said inlet pipe andsaid second conduits, and a fluid outlet at the other upper corner ofthe hollow shell.

3. In a hollow, water-cooled furnace door frame of the characterdescribed, spaced inner and outer plates having depending extensions atopposite side edges defining in part a hollow shell consisting of ahollow body portion and spaced hollow legs depending therefrom, a topplate closing the top of said hollow body portion, an arch plate closingthe bottom of said hollow body portion and the inner sides of the hollowlegs, end plates closing the edges of the hollow body and the outersides of the hollow legs, bottom plates closing the lower ends of thehollow legs, an inclined partition Wall within each hollow leg andspaced from the bottom thereof providing a sump in the lower end of eachleg, means for circulating a fluid through said shell, said meanscomprising a fluid inlet pipe extending from an upper corner of thehollow shell to a point adjacent the center of the hollow body portion,conduits extending down into said hollow legs and through the partitionWalls therein, means providing communication between said inlet pipe andsaid conduits, hollow vertical water-cooled jamb guards fixed upon theexterior of said inner plate and substantially coextensive with saidhollow legs, means providing communication between each sump and thelower end of the corresponding jamb guard, means providing communicationbetween the upper end of each jamb guard and the hollow shell, :1 secondinclined partition wall in each hollow leg spaced above the first namedinclined partition wall and providing a second sump in each hollow leg,there being an opening adjacent the upper end of each second namedpartition forming communication between each second named sump and thecorresponding hollow leg, and a vent adjacent the lower end of eachsecond named partition, second conduits extending down into said secondsumps, means providing communication between said inlet pipe and saidsecond conduits, and a fluid outlet at the other upper corner of thehollow shell.

4. In a hollow, water-cooled furnace door frame of the characterdescribed, spaced inner and outer plates having depending extensions atopposite side edges defining in part a hollow shell consisting of ahollow body port1on and spaced hollow legs depending therefrom, a topplate closing the top of said hollow body portion, an arch plate closingthe bottom of said hollow body portion and the inner sides of the hollowlegs, end plates closing the edges of the hollow body and the outersides of the hollow legs, bottom plates closing the lower ends or thehollow legs, a partition wall within each hollow leg and spaced from thebottom thereof providing a sump in the lower end of each leg, means forcirculating a fluid through said shell, said means comprising a fluidinlet pipe extending from an upper corner of the hollow shell to a pointadjacent the center of the hollow body portlon, conduits extending downinto said hollow legs and through the partition walls therein, meansproviding communication between said inlet pipe and said conduits,hollow vertical water-cooled jamb guards fixed upon the exterior of saidinner plate and substantially coextensive with said hollow legs, meansproviding communica tion between each sump and the lower end of thecorresponding jamb guard, means providing communication between theupper end of each jamb guard and the hollow shell, a second partitionwall within each hollow leg spaced above the first partition wall andproviding V H 3,077,866 v 7 8 a 'second sump, second conduits extendingdown into References fiited in the file of this patent said legs andthrough said second partitions and termi- UNITED STATES A ENTS matingabove said partitions, means providing communi- 1,211,884 Schmidt Jan 9,1917 cation between said inlet pipe and said second Cond 5 2,529,272Yoxall Nov. 7, 1950 and a fluid outlet at the other upper corner of thehollow 2,720,192 Humes' Oct. 11, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS shell.

774,209 Great Britain May 8, 1957

1. IN A HOLLOW, WATER-COOLED FURNACE DOOR FRAME OF THE CHARACTERDESCRIBED, SPACED INNER AND OUTER PLATES HAVING DEPENDING EXTENSIONS ATOPPOSITE SIDE EDGES DEFINING IN PART A HOLLOW SHELL CONSISTING OF AHOLLOW BODY PORTION AND SPACED HOLLOW LEGS DEPENDING THEREFROM, A TOPPLATE CLOSING THE TOP OF SAID HOLLOW BODY PORTION, AN ARCH PLATE CLOSINGTHE BOTTOM OF SAID HOLLOW BODY PORTION AND THE INNER SIDES OF THE HOLLOWLEGS, END PLATES CLOSING THE EDGES OF THE HOLLOW BODY AND THE OUTERSIDES OF THE HOLLOW LEGS, BOTTOM PLATES CLOSING THE LOWER ENDS OF THEHOLLOW LEGS, A PARTITION WALL WITHIN EACH HOLLOW LEG AND SPACED FROM THEBOTTOM THEREOF PROVIDING A SUMP IN THE LOWER END OF EACH LEG, MEANS FORCIRCULATING A FLUID THROUGH SAID SHELL, SAID MEANS COMPRISING A FLUIDINLET PIPE EXTENDING FROM AN UPPER CORNER OF THE HOLLOW SHELL TO A POINTADJACENT THE CENTER OF THE HOLLOW BODY PORTION, CONDUITS EXTENDING DOWNINTO SAID HOLLOW LEGS AND THROUGH THE PARTITION WALLS THEREIN, MEANSPROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID INLET PIPE AND SAID CONDUITS,HOLLOW VERTICAL WATER-COOLED JAMB GUARDS FIXED UPON THE EXTERIOR OF SAIDINNER PLATE AND SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE WITH SAID HOLLOW LEGS, MEANSPROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN EACH SUMP AND THE LOWER END OF THECORRESPONDING JAMB GUARD, MEANS PROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THEUPPER END OF EACH JAMB GUARD AND THE HOLLOW SHELL, A SECOND PARTITIONWALL IN EACH HOLLOW LEG SPACED ABOVE THE FIRST NAMED PARTITION WALL ANDPROVIDING A SECOND SUMP IN EACH HOLLOW LEG, THERE BEING AN OPENING INEACH SECOND NAMED PARTITION FORMING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN EACH SECONDNAMED SUMP AND THE CORRESPONDING HOLLOW LEG, SECOND CONDUITS EXTENDINGDOWN INTO SAID SECOND SUMPS, MEANS PROVIDING COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAIDINLET PIPE AND SAID SECOND CONDUITS, AND A FLUID OUTLET AT THE OTHERUPPER CORNER OF THE HOLLOW SHELL.